Jérôme Massier (1830-1916) is a member of the Massier family, potters who date back to before the French Revolution and were key to reviving pottery in Vallauris, the center of ceramics in southern France. The family of potters began with Pierre Massier (1707-1748) then with Jacques Massier (1806-1871) who gave to the workshop a new lease of life. The Italian potter, Gondolfi Gaetano arrived in Vallauris in 1859 and introduced Delphin and his brother Clément (1844-1917) to numerous practices such as plaster molds and enameled earthenware decoration techniques. In 1899 the three leaders, Clément and Delphin, brothers and a cousin Jérôme, created three separate workshops and formed the core of the producers in Vallauris.
The Massiers, played a critical role in reviving the decorative arts and truly represent the wealth and character of the 19th century. Though their first realizations were taken from history and eclecticism, Delphin and Jérôme later devoted themselves to an Art Nouveau style production.
